


when it all goes down, i'll love you still

by tuesdaysinoctober



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee Shops, F/M, Modern Era, Nostalgia, iroh is going to write a book
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29419287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuesdaysinoctober/pseuds/tuesdaysinoctober
Summary: when they're both so tired, they have the memories and each other. that's all they need
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Kudos: 21





	when it all goes down, i'll love you still

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Andromeda by Gorillaz, which is probably one of my favorite Gorillaz songs

The café is low lit, which is perfectly fine with Katara. She is not looking to draw attention to herself.

She remembers when this place was considered hip, when it was considered cool. 

They were so young back then. 

They still are young still but it doesn’t feel like it. 

Music plays softly and she looks up from staring at the lid of her coffee cup to glance at Zuko, whose mug rests on the table and whose head is resting on his shoulder. She doesn’t blame him.  


They had just gotten off from a flight halfway around the world. 

Zuko had gone home to deal with his grandfather’s death, and although it hadn’t been a happy trip, it hadn’t been particularly sad either. His family wasn’t happy with Katara, he’d had to deal with a drunken rage from his father, and his sister had been particularly passive-aggressive when helping to plan the funeral. 

Katara may have had bags under her eyes but Zuko had cuts into his soul from the trip. 

It was a comfort that Iroh was there. He was a grounding presence for both Zuko and Katara and if he hadn’t been there, Katara would've snapped at Ozai more times than she did. 

She didn’t mean for it to happen, but he had asked what her job was _so_ condescendingly and the scoffing sound he’d made sent her over the edge. 

“I’m sorry you think helping people is such a shitty thing to do! _Excuse_ me if I don’t think cheating people out of their money is a worthy career.” 

Katara had stormed out of the dining room --although it was really more of a hall-- and fumed in their room until Zuko came in. 

“I’m not going to apologize.” 

“You don’t have to. I don’t want you to.” 

“What are we going to do?” 

“We’re going to leave.” 

“What? When?” 

“I bought plane tickets. I don’t want to stay here any longer. Neither do you.” 

“I--” Katara couldn’t quite articulate how grateful she was that Zuko bought those plane tickets but she wouldn’t let go of his hand until they were back in their hometown, back at their little coffee shop. 

Her phone rings, the tone a little jingle called Andromeda. She had chosen it originally as Sokka's ring one but any time he called, Zuko would do a tiny head bob or tap his fingers along with the sound. Katara liked that he liked it, so she changed it to be her ringtone for her entire phone. 

The jingle startles Zuko from his doze and she makes an apologetic face at him before answering. 

“Hey, big brother.”

“Why are you up? Isn’t it late where you are?” 

“We’re back home, actually.” 

“What? Why?” 

“It’s a long story. Can I tell you some other time?” 

“Yeah, I can stop by later this week.” 

“That'd be great. Love you.” 

“Mhm.” 

Katara traces the rim of her cup as Zuko speaks. 

“Do you want to go home?” 

“I-- I’d actually feel better here.”

“Me too, to be honest.” 

Home feels like finalizing something, although she doesn’t know what. This coffee shop is a limbo, stuck between worlds and anything is better than what may await them. 

“Do you remember when this place was packed?” she asks. “When we were teenagers?” 

“Of course,” Zuko replies. “I hated it. It was so noisy, but you loved it. Loved the bustle.” 

“You loved it too, though, in time.” 

“Only after I left and came back.” 

“I think I appreciate the quiet more, with you here.” 

Zuko allows her to be, to sit, and not have to talk, not have to fill the silence to feel as though she’s helping something. 

She does like to help, help fight for others, but sometimes it’s too much, too overwhelming, and Zuko allows her to take a break. 

Katara called him “lover” once, accidentally, and he had chuckled, saying, “Sounds academic.” and she had said, “Sounds mysterious.” and he said, “Maybe you should write a book.” 

She had looked at him strangely, so much so that he said, “Maybe _I’ll_ write a book.” and when the look continued he amended his statement to, “Maybe Iroh will write a book.” 

“A sappy romance novel,” Katara had said. 

“Perfect,” Zuko had replied. “I’ll tell him.” 

So as she sits in this café, listening to the soft music, watching Zuko remember his tea, and thinking about all the little things that had happened between them, she whispers softly, “When it all goes down, I’ll love you still.” 

“What was that?” 

“I’m kind of tired.” 

“Do you want to go home?”

“Should we go home?” 

“Are you ready?” 

“For what?” 

“My family? The fallout? The world in general?” 

“If I have a good book, good music, and you.” 

“I’ll start the car.”


End file.
